Keeping That Smile Intact

Prosthodontics is one of the main specialties in dentistry and is mainly concerned about the restoration of the aesthetic of one’s oral cavity. It is true that oral hygiene is not that specific to the appearance, but having the confidence of a great smile increases the person’s efforts to keep his mouth clean.

One of the most popular methods of retaining the look of having great teeth is through wearing dentures. Though predominantly used by older people due to the natural effect of losing teeth, dentures are also used by younger people in an attempt to have better looking teeth.

Before a dentist creates dentures for a patient, there are three principles that they basically follow: support, stability and retention.

Dentures must be able to support the mouth’s function. Teeth that are placed should be able to withstand the chewing and grinding that the patient has to go through. This amount of stress should be handled by the dentures without affecting the arch of the mouth. The arch is the sustaining part of the oral cavity that holds the whole dentures in place. A dentist Media should make dentures that will not move the gums so much that it depresses the arch or the bone.

The second principle that a dentist Media PA should consider is stability. This basically means that the dentures should have an exact fit that will not result in the entire dentures moving back and forth in the mouth. The way to restrict the horizontal movement is by having the base of the denture stay in constant contact with the gums where the teeth used to be. The formation of the dentures is highly dependent on the oral anatomy of the patient and stability is most affected.

Finally, the third principle that a dentist Media should consider in making dentures is retention. This is basically the capability of the dentures not to move vertically in the mouth. The appearance of dentures "falling off" is the failure of this principle to happen. The dentures should have a stable base which, when come in contact with the oral cavity, creates a suction to keep the whole setup in place. Aside from the suction, some amount of palatal seal is included to strengthen the grip.